Langley, Batty 1696-1751

Langley was an architect and garden designer and not a gardener. He "sounded the trumpet" for rural gardening in his New Principles of Gardening (1728). His rural gardening advocated the "ruins" at every conceivable spot. His name is associated with the revival of Gothic and Medieval taste in gardening. Among his other books are Pomona or The Fruit Garden, Illustrated, etc. (1729).

His book New Principles of Gardening was popular for at least 30 years. He formulated a series of rules for garden design and condemned topiary work and parterres. Hadfield (1960) states that he "encourages the use of meandering paths," and discourages "many absurdities" of the past, the chief constituents of a "beautiful rural garden" remains much as before. He names avenues, groves, wildernesses, plain parterres, coppiced quarters "green openings like meadows, mounts, terraces, basins, canals, fountains, cascades, aviaries, menageries, cabinest, statues, obelisks, kitchen gardens, bowling greens, dials and amphitheaters - all the stock in trade of Le Notre."